RSS
Home
Rahr & Sons Bucking Bock: A local maibock
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
The world of craft beer styles is extensive. There are styles and substyles, and substyles still beyond that. Rest assured that any category you can think of can be subdivided.
No less so for bocks, my self-proclaimed favorite style of beers. And one of the bock substyles popular at this time of year is the German maibock, or “May bock,” often referred to as the heller (“pale”) bock.
Maibocks are the converse of the Oktoberfest beer style. Whereas Oktoberfests are brewed during the summer and aged for consumption at the end of the harvest celebration in October, maibocks are brewed during the winter and aged for drinking upon the arrival of spring (May). Hence, the style name.
If you’re looking for a classic example, look no further than Fort Worth’s own Rahr & Sons Brewing Company. This brewery is based in North Texas and has been operating since 2004, although Fritz Rahr’s family have been in the brewing business in Wisconsin for more than 150 years.
The Bucking Bock is their spring seasonal maibock, and it is a perennial favorite. Unlike traditional bocks, the maibock is light, toasty and pale, with sweet malt elements that lack the heavy caramelization you would expect. It is nutty, gentile, smooth, low in bitterness and very dangerously drinkable. Honestly, you can down two or three pints and not realize this beer is 8% ABV until it kicks you in the head.
How good is this beer? It won a bronze medal at the Brewers Association World Beer Cup in 2008. Pair it with most any German dish, and it goes quite well with seafood or pasta.
Availability: Tap servings are found throughout the area, mostly concentrated in Fort Worth, but 12-oz bottles can be found in better beer bars, liquor stores and supermarkets. Produced only for sale March through May, so enjoy it while you can.
Cheers!
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
